Non-destructive optical read-out and local manipulation of circular Rydberg atoms

Circular Rydberg atoms, i.e., Rydberg atoms with maximum angular momentum, ideally combine long coherence times and strong interactions [1]. Their lifetimes, hundred times longer than their low-momentum counterparts, make them ideal for quantum simulation of the dynamics of interacting quantum systems [2]. However, their individual manipulation and detection has been so far limited by the absence of optical transitions.

In this talk, I will present our new hybrid platform that couples an array of computational qubits, encoded in circular Rydberg states [3], to an auxiliary array of ancilla atoms. We excite the latter to a laser-accessible Rydberg level, that resonantly interacts with a circular Rydberg level. Rydberg blockade of the optical excitation of the ancilla performs quantum non-demolition detection of the operational qubit. Conversely, optical control of the ancilla leads to otherwise impossible local manipulation of the circular Rydberg atoms. These results make this dual-Rydberg platform highly promising for quantum computation and simulation, providing access to mid-circuit measurements in quantum computation and to time correlations in long-term quantum simulations, uniquely accessible to circular Rydberg atoms.

[1] P. Méhaignerie et al., PRX Quantum (2025)

[2] T. L. Nguyen et al., PRX 8, 011032 (2018)

[3] B. Ravon et al., PRL 131, 093401 (2023)